Variant 1 You could have come first and won the race if you … faster

24. Choose the best title for the text?
A) Predicting earthquakes B) Earthquakes and tectonic plates C) Formation of continents D) Geologists` survey


Most people are unaware of the fact that a new ailment has developed among subway users. Called "subway syndrome", it causes people to turn pale and cold and even to faint. Commuters misdiagnose the symptoms acute chest pains and nausea and rush to hospital emergency rooms in the belief that they are about to succumb to a heart attack. Hearing that their heart attack is only a case of nerves makes them feel better.
What makes people get sick on subways? Various and sundry things. One is that they rush off to work in the morning without having eaten a proper breakfast. Sudden dizziness attacks them. A second cause is the overcrowding and ensuing feeling of claustrophobia, which brings on stress and anxiety. In addition, they are so afraid of mechanical failure, fire, and or crime that they show signs of panic – men by having chest pains and women by becoming hysterical. Contributing especially to their stress are other factors: overcrowding of both men and women, continual increase in the numbers of passengers, and people's inability to avoid interacting with strangers.
25. Presumably the word COMMUTER refers to...
A) a vehicle B) a person C) subway D) dizziness
26. Why do subway riders think they might be having a heart attack?
A) They suffer from chest pains B) They don't eat breakfast C) They are overcrowded D) They are afraid
27. According to the passage, if you don't have a good breakfast, you might get ...
A) dizzy B) afraid C) pale D) cold


A few years ago a shortage of natural gas drove prices sky high. Likewise, gasoline prices rose when demands exceeded supplies. A glut in the oil market drove prices back down. The law of supply and demand functioned according to textbook description in the case of oil, but the situation is otherwise in the current natural gas market. Natural gas consumers are finding their heating bills more of a burden than last year, in spite of a dramatic increase in supplies. There is so much natural gas available that many suppliers are closing down their plants for lack of a market, and it is rumoured that some suppliers are even burning off their surplus gas.